וְאָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי בַּר חָמָא, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ, מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״וְאֶתְּנָה לְךָ אֶת לֻחֹת הָאֶבֶן וְהַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוָה אֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי לְהוֹרֹתָם״. ״לֻחֹת״ — אֵלּוּ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת, ״תּוֹרָה״ — זֶה מִקְרָא, ״וְהַמִּצְוָה״ — זוֹ מִשְׁנָה, ״אֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי״ — אֵלּוּ נְבִיאִים וּכְתוּבִים, ״לְהוֹרוֹתָם״ — זֶה תַּלְמוּד, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכּוּלָּם נִתְּנוּ לְמֹשֶׁה מִסִּינַי.
And Rabbi Levi bar Ḥama said that Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: God said to Moses, “Ascend to me on the mountain and be there, and I will give you the stone tablets and the Torah and the mitzva [commandment] that I have written that you may teach them” (Exodus 24:12), meaning that God revealed to Moses not only the Written Torah, but all of Torah, as it would be transmitted through the generations.The “tablets” are the ten commandments that were written on the tablets of the Covenant,the “Torah” is the five books of Moses.The “mitzva” is the Mishna, which includes explanations for the mitzvot and how they are to be performed.“That I have written” refers to the Prophets and Writings, written with divine inspiration.“That you may teach them” refers to the Talmud, which explains the Mishna.These explanations are the foundation for the rulings of practical halakha. This verse teaches that all aspects of Torah were given to Moses from Sinai.
א"ר אבא אמר שמואל שלש שנים נחלקו ב"ש וב"ה הללו אומרים הלכה כמותנו והללו אומרים הלכה כמותנו יצאה בת קול ואמרה אלו ואלו דברי אלקים חיים הן והלכה כב"ה וכי מאחר שאלו ואלו דברי אלקים חיים מפני מה זכו ב"ה לקבוע הלכה כמותן מפני שנוחין ועלובין היו ושונין דבריהן ודברי ב"ש ולא עוד אלא שמקדימין דברי ב"ש לדבריהן
Rabbi Abba said in the name of Shmuel, For three years, the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai argued. One said, 'The halakha is like us,' and the other said, 'The halakha is like us.' A heavenly voice* spoke: "These and these are the words of the living God, and the halakha is like the House of Hillel." A question was raised: Since the heavenly voice declared: "Both these and those are the words of the Living God," why was the halakha established to follow the opinion of Hillel? It is because the students of Hillel were kind and gracious. They taught their own ideas as well as the ideas from the students of Shammai. Not only for this reason, but they went so far as to teach Shammai's opinions first.
* A voice from the out of the heavens (bat qol). Note that it does not have the last word (here or in the next Talmudic text)!
אלו ואלו דברי אלקים חיים שאלו רבני צרפת ז״ל היאך אפשר שיהו אלו ואלו דברי אלקים חים וזה איסר וזה מתיר ותרצו כי כשעלה משה למרום לקבל התורה הראו לן על כל דבר ודבר מ״ט פנים לאיסור ומ״ט פני׳ להיתר ושאל להקב״ה על זה ואמר שיהא זה מסור לחכמי ישראל שבכל דור ודור ויהיה הכרעה כמותם ונכון הוא לפי הדרש ובדרך האמת יש טעם סוד בדבר.
Rabbi Yom Tov ben Avraham Asevilli, 13th-14th c. Seville, Commentary on Eruvin 13b [How can it be that] 'these and these are the words of the living God?' The Rabbis of France [i.e. the 12th century French commentators known as Tosafists], may their memories be blessed, asked: How can it be that both of them spoke the words of the living God, yet one side said [for example, an object is] forbidden and one said it is permissible? They resolved it by noting that when Moses went up to the heights to receive the Torah, it was shown to him 49 reasons why something is permissible, and 49 reasons why it is forbidden. He asked the Holy One Blessed Be He about this, and was told that this is left to the sages of Israel in every generation, and the ruling will be as they decide.
In this famous midrash, we see another approach to the problem of disagreement among the sages. Who "wins" the debate, and how? What surprises you about this story?
Talmud, Baba Metzia 59b:
…We learned elsewhere: If he cut it into separate tiles, placing sand between each tile: R. Eliezer declared it clean, and the Sages declared it unclean; and this was the oven of Akhnai. Why [the oven of] Akhnai?* Said Rav [Rabbi] Judah in Samuel’s name: [It means] that they encompassed it with arguments as a snake, and proved it unclean. It has been taught: On that day Rabbi Eliezer brought forward all the arguments in the world, but they did not accept them. Said he to them: ‘If the halakha [the way we do things, the law] agrees with me, let this carob-tree prove it!’ Thereupon the carob-tree was torn a hundred cubits out of its place (others say: four hundred cubits). ‘No proof can be brought from a carob-tree,’ they retorted. Again he said to them: ‘If the halakha agrees with me, let the stream of water prove it!’ whereupon the stream of water flowed backwards. ‘No proof can be brought from a stream of water,’ they rejoined. Again he said: ‘If the halakha agrees with me, let the walls of the schoolhouse prove it,’ whereupon the walls inclined to fall. But Rabbi Joshua rebuked them, saying: ‘When scholars are engaged in a halakhic dispute, what’s it to you?’ Hence they did not fall, in honor of Rabbi Joshua, nor did they straighten up, in honor of Rabbi Eliezer; and they still that way today. Again he said to them: ‘If the halakha agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven!’ Whereupon a heavenly voice** cried out: ‘Why do you dispute with Rabbi Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the halakha agrees with him! ‘The Torah is not in heaven’ [Deut. 30:12]** – what does that mean? Said Rabbi Jeremiah: The Torah has already been given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice, because You long ago wrote in the Torah at Mount Sinai, After the majority incline [Ex. 23:2].*** Rabbi Nathan met [the prophet] Elijah and asked him, “What did the Holy One, Blessed be He [God], do when that happened?” “He laughed and said, ‘My sons have defeated me, My sons have defeated me.’”
* "Akhnai:" Akhnai is a proper noun, probably the name of a master, but it also means ‘snake.’ The "Akhnai Oven" was made in a series of separate portions with a layer of sand between each (rather than being made in one piece). Rabbi Eliezer maintains that since each portion in itself is not a utensil, the sand between prevents the whole structure from being regarded as a single utensil, and therefore it is not liable to uncleanness. The sages (the majority, in this case) however hold that the outer coating of mortar or cement unifies the whole, and it is therefore liable to uncleanness.
** See source #5 below, used here as a prooftext.
*** See source #6 below, used here as a prooftext. It instructs do not incline after [favor] ‘those with much’ [in that context, meaning “the wealthy,” but here meaning “the many”].
(יא) כִּ֚י הַמִּצְוָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם לֹֽא־נִפְלֵ֥את הִוא֙ מִמְּךָ֔ וְלֹ֥א רְחֹקָ֖ה הִֽוא׃ (יב) לֹ֥א בַשָּׁמַ֖יִם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַעֲלֶה־לָּ֤נוּ הַשָּׁמַ֙יְמָה֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַעֲשֶֽׂנָּה׃ (יג) וְלֹֽא־מֵעֵ֥בֶר לַיָּ֖ם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַעֲבָר־לָ֜נוּ אֶל־עֵ֤בֶר הַיָּם֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַעֲשֶֽׂנָּה׃ (יד) כִּֽי־קָר֥וֹב אֵלֶ֛יךָ הַדָּבָ֖ר מְאֹ֑ד בְּפִ֥יךָ וּבִֽלְבָבְךָ֖ לַעֲשֹׂתֽוֹ׃ (ס) (טו) רְאֵ֨ה נָתַ֤תִּי לְפָנֶ֙יךָ֙ הַיּ֔וֹם אֶת־הַֽחַיִּ֖ים וְאֶת־הַטּ֑וֹב וְאֶת־הַמָּ֖וֶת וְאֶת־הָרָֽע׃ (טז) אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָנֹכִ֣י מְצַוְּךָ֮ הַיּוֹם֒ לְאַהֲבָ֞ה אֶת־יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ לָלֶ֣כֶת בִּדְרָכָ֔יו וְלִשְׁמֹ֛ר מִצְוֺתָ֥יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֖יו וּמִשְׁפָּטָ֑יו וְחָיִ֣יתָ וְרָבִ֔יתָ וּבֵֽרַכְךָ֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בָּאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה בָא־שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃
(11) Surely, this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach. (12) It is not in the heavens, that you should say, “Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?” (13) Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who among us can cross to the other side of the sea and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?” (14) No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it. (15) See, I set before you this day life and prosperity, death and adversity. (16) For I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His laws, and His rules, that you may thrive and increase, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land that you are about to enter and possess.
(א) לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֖א שֵׁ֣מַע שָׁ֑וְא אַל־תָּ֤שֶׁת יָֽדְךָ֙ עִם־רָשָׁ֔ע לִהְיֹ֖ת עֵ֥ד חָמָֽס׃ (ס) (ב) לֹֽא־תִהְיֶ֥ה אַחֲרֵֽי־רַבִּ֖ים לְרָעֹ֑ת וְלֹא־תַעֲנֶ֣ה עַל־רִ֗ב לִנְטֹ֛ת אַחֲרֵ֥י רַבִּ֖ים לְהַטֹּֽת׃ (ג) וְדָ֕ל לֹ֥א תֶהְדַּ֖ר בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃ (ס)
(1) You must not carry false rumors; you shall not join hands with the guilty to act as a malicious witness: (2) Do not follow the crowd to do wrong; and when you give testimony, do not incline with the majority to intervene in a dispute and pervert justice; (3) nor shall you show deference to a poor man in his dispute.